Methods and apparatus for identification of local commercial insertion opportunities

ABSTRACT

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed for identification of local commercial insertion opportunities. Example apparatus for identification of local commercial insertion opportunities include a media comparator to compare respective instances of media conveyed in respective ones of a plurality of broadcast signals associated with affiliates of a national broadcaster to identify a broadcast interval having different media conveyed among at least some of the broadcast signals. The example apparatus also include an insertion opportunity identifier to determine whether the broadcast interval is associated with a local advertisement insertion opportunity based on a characteristic of the broadcast interval.

RELATED APPLICATION

This patent arises from a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 15/947,569 (now U.S. Pat. No. 11,166,054), which was filed on Apr.6, 2018. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/947,569 is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Priority to U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/947,569 is hereby claimed.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates generally to media monitoring, and, moreparticularly, to methods and apparatus for identification of localcommercial insertion opportunities.

BACKGROUND

For years, national broadcasters have allocated time for localcommercials to be inserted into programming on affiliate stationsdisplaying national broadcasts. Some local affiliate broadcastersutilize such local insertion opportunities to display localadvertisements, while others display national advertisements, or displayalternative programming. National broadcasters can alert affiliatestations to such commercial insertion opportunities and the localaffiliate stations can select a course of action. Such advertisementinsertion opportunities have been identified by national broadcasters tolocal affiliate stations using a number of methods, including cue tones,white space in the broadcast signal, SCTE-35 codes, direct-contact fromthe broadcast, and/or a variety of other indication methods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an example system constructed toidentify local commercial insertion opportunities in accordance withteachings of this disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of the example insertion opportunityanalyzer of FIG. 1 .

FIGS. 3A-B collectively depict a flowchart representative of examplemachine readable instructions that may be executed to implement theexample insertion opportunity analyzer to perform identification oflocal commercial insertion opportunities.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart representative of example machine readableinstructions that may be executed to implement the example insertionopportunity analyzer to perform media comparison across broadcastsignals.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example comparison of a set of affiliatebroadcasts for identification of local commercial insertionopportunities in accordance with teachings of this disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of an example processor platformstructured to execute the instructions of FIGS. 3A-B and 4 to implementthe insertion opportunity analyzer of FIGS. 1 and 2 .

The figures are not to scale. Wherever possible, the same referencenumbers will be used throughout the drawing(s) and accompanying writtendescription to refer to the same or like parts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

National broadcasts are often distributed by a national broadcaster tomultiple local affiliate stations (e.g., stations within the samenetwork, etc.) for display. For example, a local affiliate station(e.g., a station that directly broadcasts to a specific area, group ofsubscribers, etc.) may display nationally distributed broadcasts inaddition to, or alternatively to, local broadcasts. Affiliate stationsthat display national broadcasts are given the opportunity to inserttheir own content, such as local advertisements, at specific timesthroughout the national broadcast. An example national broadcast mayinclude, for example, a two-minute local (e.g., associated with aregion, area, locality, etc.) commercial insertion opportunity. During alocal commercial insertion opportunity (also referred to herein as alocal insertion opportunity), a local affiliate station may continue tobroadcast the national broadcast. In such an example, the nationalbroadcast may include national advertisements (e.g., commercials, etc.)produced by the national broadcaster as an option for the localaffiliates to broadcast during the local commercial insertionopportunity. In some examples, the local affiliate station may broadcastlocal advertisements (e.g., advertisements relevant to local businesses,relevant to local current affairs, relevant to sponsors or affiliates ofthe local affiliate station, etc.) during the local commercial insertionopportunity. In some examples, local affiliate stations may interruptbroadcasts in order to present alternative programming (e.g., a localnews alert, an emergency alert, a long-form infomercial, etc.). In somesuch examples, the local affiliate stations may begin such alternativeprogramming at any point in the national broadcast, including at a localinsertion opportunity. As used herein, the term “broadcast” refers toany signal conveying media.

Local affiliate stations generally receive an identification of when alocal commercial insertion opportunity exists from the nationalbroadcaster, which enables the local affiliate station to display alocal advertisement or alternative programming at the appropriate time.In some examples, the identification may be in the form of cue tones,which are signals inserted into the broadcast that are identifiable bylocal affiliates. A cue tone may be, for example, a dual-tonemulti-frequency (DTMF) tone. In some examples, an audience measuremententity (e.g., The Nielsen Company (US), LLC) can identify and detect thecue tones in signals to identify local commercial insertionopportunities. In some examples, the identification may be in the formof Society of Cable Telecommunication Engineers—Standard 35 (SCTE-35)codes. SCTE-35 codes are a digital form of indicator similar to cuetones which are carried in the broadcasting stream, and can be used toindicate local insertion opportunities. Similar to cue tones, anaudience measurement entity (AME), also referred to as a mediameasurement entity, can identify and detect SCTE-35 codes in broadcastsignals to identify local commercial insertion opportunities.

In some examples, a national broadcaster may utilize another method,which is difficult or impossible for an AME to detect, to indicate tolocal affiliate stations that a commercial insertion opportunity exists.For example, a national broadcast may transmit a signal included in thenational broadcast signal in white space (e.g., unused frequencies,etc.) of the national broadcast signal. In such an example, an AME mayhave difficulty detecting, or may not be able to detect, theidentification of the local insertion opportunity, as the AME may not beinformed as to the specific white space utilized to indicate the localinsertion opportunity, and/or may not be able to detect the white spacesignal. In some examples, national broadcasters may communicate withlocal affiliates via an inaccessible method, such as directly contactingthe affiliate stations via email. In such an example, an AME may nothave access to such emails or other direct contact communications.

Indications of local commercial insertion opportunities may includeinformation such as specific times for local insertion opportunities(e.g., a start time, an end time). For example, a national broadcast mayinclude a two minute commercial pod (e.g., a stop set, commercial break,etc.), in which the last thirty second spot is available for a localinsertion. In such an example, the national broadcaster may provide, inadvance and/or in real-time, an indication of the local insertionopportunity to the local affiliate station.

Conventionally, an entity (e.g., an AME) interested in tracking localcommercial insertion opportunities may tune into broadcast signals andattempt to detect and identify indications of such opportunities (e.g.,cue tones, SCTE-35 codes, etc.). However, with numerous types ofindications being developed and utilized, such an approach may varydepending on the specific affiliate station. In some examples, theindication of a local insertion opportunity may be provided throughprivate communications between the national broadcaster and theaffiliate station. As a result, it is traditionally difficult, if notimpossible for an AME, to track all local commercial insertionopportunities across a range of affiliate stations. Such localcommercial insertion opportunity data may be desired for verification oflocal commercial presentations by advertisers, competitor localcommercial analysis by advertisers, and/or any research entities to addanother layer of granularity to media monitoring data, etc.

In example methods, systems, and articles of manufacture disclosedherein, broadcast signals are compared between local affiliate stationsbroadcasting the same national broadcast (e.g., in the same network) toidentify local commercial insertion opportunities. In some examples,signatures, audio watermarks/codes, and/or some other identifiers basedon the broadcast signals are utilized to compare the affiliate broadcastsignals. In some examples, signatures, watermarks/codes, and/or someother identifies are included in video associated with the broadcastsignals.

In some examples, watermarking may be utilized for comparison of theaffiliate broadcast signals. Audio watermarking is a technique used toidentify media such as television broadcasts, radio broadcasts,advertisements (television and/or radio), downloaded media, streamingmedia, prepackaged media, etc. Existing audio watermarking techniquesidentify media by embedding one or more audio codes (e.g., one or morewatermarks), such as media identifying information and/or an identifierthat may be mapped to media identifying information, into an audioand/or video component. In some examples, the audio or video componentis selected to have a signal characteristic sufficient to hide thewatermark. As used herein, the terms “code” or “watermark” are usedinterchangeably and are defined to mean any identification information(e.g., an identifier) that may be inserted or embedded in the audio orvideo of media (e.g., a program or advertisement) for the purpose ofidentifying the media or for another purpose such as tuning (e.g., apacket identifying header).

As used herein “media” refers to audio and/or visual (still or moving)content and/or advertisements. For example, as used herein, the term“media” includes any type of content and/or advertisement delivered viaany type of distribution medium. Thus, media includes televisionprogramming or advertisements, radio programming or advertisements,movies, web sites, streaming media, etc.

In some examples, to identify watermarked media, the watermark(s) areextracted and used to access a table of reference watermarks that aremapped to media identifying information. In some examples, signaturesmay be utilized for comparison of the affiliate broadcast signals.Unlike media monitoring techniques based on codes and/or watermarksincluded with and/or embedded in the monitored media, fingerprint orsignature-based media monitoring techniques generally use one or moreinherent characteristics of the monitored media during a monitoring timeinterval to generate a substantially unique proxy for the media. Such aproxy is referred to as a signature or fingerprint, and can take anyform (e.g., a series of digital values, a waveform, etc.) representativeof any aspect(s) of the media signal(s)(e.g., the audio and/or videosignals forming the media presentation being monitored). A signature maybe a series of signatures collected in series over a timer interval. Agood signature is approximately repeatable when processing the samemedia presentation, but has at least some unique characteristicsrelative to other (e.g., different) presentations of other (e.g.,different) media. Accordingly, the term “fingerprint” and “signature”are used interchangeably herein and are defined herein to mean a proxyfor identifying media that is generated from one or more inherentcharacteristics of the media.

Signature-based media monitoring generally involves determining (e.g.,generating and/or collecting) signature(s) representative of a mediasignal (e.g., an audio signal and/or a video signal) output by amonitored media device and comparing the monitored signature(s) to oneor more references signatures corresponding to known (e.g., reference)media sources. Various comparison criteria, such as a cross-correlationvalue, a Hamming distance, etc., can be evaluated to determine whether amonitored signature matches a particular reference signature. When amatch between the monitored signature and one of the referencesignatures is found, the monitored media can be identified ascorresponding to the particular reference media represented by thereference signature that with matched the monitored signature. Becauseattributes, such as an identifier of the media, a presentation time, abroadcast channel, etc., are collected for the reference signature,these attributes may then be associated with the monitored media whosemonitored signature matched the reference signature. Example systems foridentifying media based on codes and/or signatures are long known andwere first disclosed in Thomas, U.S. Pat. No. 5,481,294, which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

In some example methods, systems, and articles of manufacture disclosedherein, characteristics of the local affiliate broadcast signals, suchas a number of the broadcast signals conveying different media (e.g.,different programming, commercials, etc.) and durations of thedifferences in broadcast signals (e.g., a duration associated with howlong one local affiliate broadcast signal is different from othersignals), are used to identify local commercial insertion opportunities.

In examples disclosed herein, local commercial insertion opportunitiesare identified in audio and/or audiovisual signals based on differencesbetween the broadcast signals. In some examples, the broadcast signalsare accessed and/or acquired as they are presented, and are stored forlater analysis. In some examples, the analysis may occur in real-time asthe broadcast signals are presented, using continuous analysis andcomparison of the broadcast signals. In some examples, the localcommercial insertion opportunities are identified even if they are notutilized by many of the affiliate stations. For example, a nationalbroadcaster may provide the opportunity for a local commercial insertionopportunity and only some of the affiliates may actually present localcommercials during this time period. In such an example, the techniquesdisclosed herein may still identify the local commercial insertionopportunity, even if the affiliate station did not utilize theopportunity.

In contrast with conventional approaches for addressing mediaidentification, example methods, systems and articles of manufacturedisclosed herein enable a comprehensive approach for identifying localcommercial insertion opportunities that is not dependent on the nationalbroadcaster communicating a detectable indicator (e.g., a cue tone)along with the signal to the affiliate stations and/or knowledge of aprivate communication (e.g., a direct email to an affiliate) to theentity performing local insertion opportunity identification. Exampletechniques disclosed herein identify local insertion opportunities bycomparing identifiers (e.g., signatures, watermarks/codes, etc.)associated with local affiliate broadcast signals to detect differencesin the media presented by the different broadcast signals, andsubsequently to analyze the differences to determine whether they aredue to a local commercial insertion opportunity. Example techniquesdisclosed herein can utilize any form of comparison of broadcast signalsand are not limited to watermarks/codes, signatures, and/or any othercomparison approach.

While the techniques disclosed herein are, in some examples, describedin the context of television and/or radio broadcasts, the techniques maybe applied in a variety of applications, settings, or exampleimplementations. Specifically, the techniques may be implemented in anybroadcast processing application to identify differences in broadcastsignals representative of insertion opportunities.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an example system 100 constructedto identify local commercial insertion opportunities in accordance withthe teachings of this disclosure. The example system 100 includesexample affiliate broadcasters 102 a, 102 b, and 102 c broadcastingexample affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, and 104 c which aremonitored by an example media monitor system (MMS) 106 including anexample insertion opportunity analyzer 108 to determine example localinsertion opportunity data 110.

The affiliate broadcasters 102 a, 102 b, 102 c, of the illustratedexample of FIG. 1 are stations that broadcast the example affiliatebroadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c. At some times, the exampleaffiliate broadcasters 102 a, 102 b, 102 c can broadcast the same media(e.g., corresponding to national programming, commercials, etc.) and atother times can broadcast media that is not the same between the exampleaffiliate broadcasters 102 a, 102 b, 102 c. For example, the affiliatebroadcasters 102 a, 102 b, 102 c can broadcast respective broadcastsignals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c including a national broadcast distributedby a network (e.g., American Broadcasting Company (ABC), BritishBroadcasting Company (BBC), National Broadcasting Company (NBC), FoxBroadcasting Company (Fox), etc.). In some examples, the affiliatebroadcasters 102 a, 102 b, 102 c can be associated with a specificregion (e.g., the midwestern United States, the East Coast of the UnitedStates, a specific city, a specific state, etc.). In some examples, theaffiliate broadcasters 102 a, 102 b, 102 c utilize local commercialinsertion opportunities to broadcast local media, such as localcommercials to a local/regional audience. Any number of affiliatebroadcasters may exist in association with any given network. In someexamples, one or more of the example affiliate broadcasters 102 a, 102b, 102 c are not associated with the same network. In such an example,the one or more of the example affiliate broadcasters 102 a, 102 b, 102c can contractually broadcast specific programming (e.g., one show, onespecial feature, one episode, etc.) from a network (e.g., a nationalbroadcaster, etc.).

The affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c of the illustratedexample of FIG. 1 are broadcast signals conveying media and aretransmitted for presentation to respective audiences of the exampleaffiliate broadcasters 102 a, 102 b, 102 c. At some times, the examplebroadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c are associated with matchingintervals during which the broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c aresubstantially similar. In such intervals, the example broadcast signalslikely convey national media from a network. At other times, the examplebroadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c are associated with non-matchingintervals during which one or more of the broadcast signals 104 a, 104b, 104 c convey substantially different media. In such non-matchingintervals, the example broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c can includelocal advertisements, regional-specific programming (e.g., local news),and/or any other media. In some examples, the broadcast signals 104 a,104 b, 104 c are transmitted to specific regions associated with theexample affiliate broadcasters 102 a, 102 b, 102 c. In some examples,such regions may be overlapping, resulting in a plurality of the exampleaffiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c being available at thesame location. In some examples, the broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104c can include substantially more matching intervals during certain timeperiods of the day (e.g., the evening) when the example broadcast signalis broadcasting media from a network. In some such examples, thebroadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c can broadcast regional mediaduring other time periods of the day (e.g., overnight), resulting innon-matching intervals with long durations. In some examples, one ormore of the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c can be anational broadcast, instead of an affiliate broadcast.

The MMS 106 of the illustrated example of FIG. 1 is structured toreceive the example broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c and to monitorthe signals to perform identification of local commercial insertionopportunities. For example, the MMS 106 can be localized to receive someor all of the broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c directly, and/or mayreceive the one or more of the broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 cindirectly via intermediate receiving stations. In some examples, theMMS 106 is a server that collects and processes media monitoringinformation to generate metrics related to presented media. The exampleMMS 106 can, for example, analyze broadcast signals to analyzeadvertising effectiveness. The example MMS 106 can generate such datathat may be advantageous to advertisers in determining the reach ofexisting advertisements, in making decisions on new advertisementopportunities, in analyzing competitor advertisements, etc. In someexamples, the MMS 106 is associated with an AME (e.g., The NielsenCompany (US), LLC). In the illustrated example, the MMS 106 includes anexample insertion opportunity analyzer 108.

The insertion opportunity analyzer 108 of the illustrated example ofFIG. 1 analyzes the example affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b,104 c to identify the presence of local commercial insertionopportunities. The example insertion opportunity analyzer 108 receivesand compares the example affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 cto determine non-matching intervals associated with the affiliatebroadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c. The example insertion opportunityanalyzer 108 determines whether non-matching intervals of the affiliatebroadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c represent local commercialinsertion opportunities based on characteristics of the non-matchingintervals. In some examples, the analyzed characteristics includedurations of the non-matching intervals. In some examples, the analyzedcharacteristics of the non-matching intervals include a number ofdifferences between the example affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104b, 104 c during the non-matching intervals.

In some examples, the insertion opportunity analyzer 108 detects andutilizes watermarks for comparison of media included in the exampleaffiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c. Additionally oralternatively, in some examples, the insertion opportunity analyzer 108generates signatures at times throughout the example affiliate broadcastsignals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c to utilize for comparison of the affiliatebroadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c. Additionally or alternatively, insome examples, the insertion opportunity analyzer 108 detectsidentifiers (e.g., cue tones, SCTE-35 codes, etc.) embedded in orotherwise transmitted with broadcast signals. The example insertionopportunity analyzer 108 generates example local insertion opportunitydata 110 including information identifying local commercial insertionopportunities.

The local insertion opportunity data 110 of the illustrated example ofFIG. 1 is data pertaining to identified local commercial insertionopportunities. In some examples, the MMS 106 transmits the example localinsertion opportunity data 110 to advertisers, broadcasters, and/or anentity requesting media analytics data. In some examples, the localinsertion opportunity data 110 includes times (e.g., start time,duration, etc.) associated with local insertion opportunities. In someexamples, the local insertion opportunity data 110 includes measures ofconfidence and/or additional granularity with respect to the identifiedlocal insertion opportunities. For example, the local insertionopportunity data 110 can include a number of differences identifiedduring an identified local insertion opportunity, a measure ofuniformity with respect to the duration of the local insertionopportunity between the example affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104b, 104 c, and/or any other data pertaining to the local commercialinsertion opportunities. In some examples, the local insertionopportunity data may be included in a larger data set and/or report. Forexample, the larger data set may include specific identification (e.g.,using watermarks, using signatures, etc.) of media that is presented inthe example affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c. In such anexample, the local insertion opportunity data 110 may be utilized toindicate that a local insertion opportunity exists at a given time wherea difference in media has been identified, as opposed to the differencebeing attributed to a change in programming, a glitch at one or more ofthe affiliate broadcasters 102 a, 104 b, 104 c, or any other cause of adifference between the example affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b,104 c.

In operation, the example affiliate broadcasters 102 a, 102 b, 102 ctransmit the example affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 cincluding media. The example MMS 106 receives the example affiliatebroadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c for processing by the exampleinsertion opportunity analyzer 108. The example insertion opportunityanalyzer 108 compares the signals and performs processing to identifylocal commercial insertion opportunities included in the exampleaffiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c. The example insertionopportunity analyzer 108 then generates and outputs the example localinsertion opportunity data 110.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of an example implementation of theinsertion opportunity analyzer 108 of FIG. 1 . The example insertionopportunity analyzer 108 of FIG. 2 includes an example broadcastreceiver 202, an example insertion opportunity indicator extractor 204,and an example media comparator 206 including an example mediacomparator configurator 208, an example signature generator 210, anexample signature comparator 212, an example watermark decoder 214, andan example watermark comparator 216. The example insertion opportunityanalyzer 108 additionally includes an example insertion opportunityidentifier 218, an example insertion opportunity report generator 220,and an example data store 222.

The broadcast receiver 202 of the illustrated example of FIG. 2 receivesaffiliate broadcast signals. The example broadcast receiver 202 caninclude any technology for receiving broadcast signals (e.g., one ormore antennas, cable connections, streaming media receivers, etc.). Theexample broadcast receiver 202 can route broadcast signals to theexample insertion opportunity indicator extractor 204 and/or to theexample media comparator 206. In some examples, the broadcast receiver202 is a plurality of broadcast receivers to receive the exampleaffiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c. For example, thebroadcast receiver 202 can include one or more receivers placed inregions where the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c, canbe received. In some examples, the broadcast receiver 202 receivessignatures associated with the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b,104 c that have been received at receivers in geographic locationsassociated with the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c. Insome examples, the broadcast receiver 202 receives such signaturesinstead of the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c.Similarly, the example broadcast receiver 202 can receive decodedwatermarks associated with the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b,104 c that have been detected and/or decoded at receivers in geographiclocations associated with the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b,104 c. In some examples, the broadcast receiver 202 is a centralbroadcast receiver, in communication with a plurality of broadcastreceivers to receive the affiliate broadcast signal 104 a, 104 b, 104 c.In some examples, the broadcast receiver 202 is external to the exampleinsertion opportunity analyzer 108. In some such examples, the broadcastreceiver 202 can route the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104c to the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108. In some examples,the broadcast receiver 202 receives a multitude of broadcast signals,and utilizes data associated with the broadcast signals to determine theaffiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c (e.g., the broadcastsignals associated with the same network, playing the same nationalprogramming, etc.).

The insertion opportunity indicator extractor 204 of the illustratedexample of FIG. 2 identifies the presence of local insertion opportunityindicators in broadcast signals. In some examples, the insertionopportunity indicator extractor 204 receives a broadcast signal from thebroadcast receiver 202 that corresponds to a national broadcast andincludes local insertion opportunity indicators. The example insertionopportunity indicator extractor 204 determines if any of the receivedbroadcast signals include local insertion opportunity indicators. Theexample insertion opportunity indicator extractor 204 extracts any localinsertion opportunity indicators (e.g., SCTE-35 codes, cue tones, etc.)from the broadcast signals. In some examples, the insertion opportunityindicator extractor 204 generates data indicating times and durations oflocal insertion opportunities for the broadcast signals based on thelocal insertion opportunity indicators. In some such examples, theinsertion opportunity indicator extractor 204 can transmit such data tothe example insertion opportunity identifier 218, to be combined withdata from the example media comparator 206 for the determination oflocal insertion opportunities. In some examples, the insertionopportunity indicator extractor 204 communicates the broadcast signalsto the example media comparator 206 after processing the broadcastsignals. In some examples, when a signal is identified as includinglocal insertion opportunity indicators, and the local insertionopportunity indicators are can be utilized to determine the localinsertion opportunities for the broadcast signal(s), the insertionopportunity indicator extractor 204 can exclude the broadcast signal forwhich the local insertion opportunities have been identified fromprocessing by the example media comparator 206. In some examples, suchbroadcast signals where local insertion opportunities have beenidentified based on indicators are utilized in conjunction withdeterminations by the media comparator 206 to verify the presence oflocal insertion opportunities and/or to extrapolate identified localinsertion opportunities to other affiliate broadcast signals.

The media comparator 206 of the illustrated example of FIG. 2 performscomparison of media conveyed in affiliate broadcasts to identifybroadcast intervals having different media conveyed in at least some ofthe broadcast signals. The example media comparator 206 can utilizesignatures, watermarks/codes, and/or any other method to compare mediaconveyed in the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c. In someexamples, the media comparator 206 can utilize watermarks embedded inaudio of the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c and/or invideo of the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c. In someexamples, the media comparator 206 additionally or alternativelyutilizes signatures to perform media comparison. In some such examples,the media comparator 206 can generate signatures for the affiliatebroadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c at times throughout the signals.In some examples, the media comparator 206 receives signaturescorresponding to the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 cthat have already been generated at locations where the affiliatebroadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c were initially received (e.g.,locations in the regions corresponding to the affiliate broadcastsignals' 104 a, 104 b, 104 c distribution area, etc.). In some examples,the media comparator 206 can perform watermark detection andsubsequently decode watermarks in the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a,104 b, 104 c if watermarks are found. In some examples, the mediacomparator 206 receives watermarks that have been detected and decodedat locations where the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 cwere initially received (e.g., locations in the regions corresponding tothe affiliate broadcast signals' 104 a, 104 b, 104 c distribution areas,etc.). In some examples, the media comparator 206 can analyze broadcastsignals to determine and select a preferred comparison technique (e.g.,comparison of watermarks, comparison of signatures, etc.). In someexamples, the media comparator 206 is configured with preferences as topreferred comparison techniques. In some examples, the media comparator206 compares the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c at timesegments of the signals incrementally.

In response to the comparison of the example media comparator 206determining that at least some of the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a,104 b, 104 c do not include similar media for a time segment, theexample media comparator 206 can determine that the time segment is anon-matching interval. In some examples, the media comparator 206 cancombine consecutive non-matching intervals after the time segments ofthe affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c have been analyzed.In some such examples, the media comparator 206 can combine consecutivenon-matching intervals if the non-matching intervals have similarcharacteristics (e.g., a similar number of unique media presentations).

In some examples, the media comparator 206 can utilize multiplecomparison techniques on the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b,104 c to perform comparison. In some such examples, the media comparator206 can compare signals including watermarks based on the watermarks andsubsequently compare the signals based on generated signatures, orvice-versa. In some such examples, the media comparator 206 isconfigured with an agreeance threshold associated with the two or morecomparison methods identifying the same non-matching interval before theexample media comparator 206 determines the non-matching interval to bepresent.

The media comparator configurator 208 of the illustrated example of FIG.3 configures the example media comparator 206 to perform comparison ofaffiliate broadcast signals. In some examples, the media configurator208 analyzes the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c todetermine if the signals include watermarks/codes. In response to theexample media comparator configurator 208 determining that the exampleaffiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c includewatermarks/codes, the example media comparator configurator 208 caninitiate the example watermark decoder 214 to decode watermarks/codesincluded in the signals. In some examples, the media comparatorconfigurator 208 is configured with preferences associated withcomparison techniques. For example, if the example media comparatorconfigurator 208 determines that watermarks/codes are present, theexample media comparator configurator 208 can be configured to determinethat the watermarks should be used alone, to perform comparison of theexample affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c, or that thewatermarks should be used in combination with a secondary technique(e.g., signature comparison, etc.) to compare the signals. In someexamples, the media comparator configurator 208 can determine that onlysome time segments of the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104c include watermarks, or other codes. In some such examples, the mediacomparator configurator 208 can initiate comparison using thewatermarks, when available, along with signatures and/or one or moreother secondary comparison techniques for other time segments. In someexamples, the media comparator configurator 208 can perform analysis todetermine that any comparison technique is suitable or preferred forcomparison of the signals.

The signature generator 210 of the illustrated example of FIG. 2generates signatures from broadcast signals at times throughout thesignals. In some examples, the signature generator 210 generatessignatures from the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c uponthe signals being received at the example media comparator 206. In someexamples, the signature generator 210 generates signatures from theaffiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c in response to a signalfrom the example media comparator configurator 208 to perform mediacomparison using signatures. In some examples, the example signaturegenerator 210 generates signatures utilizing the same methodology acrossthe affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c to enable comparisonof the signals. In some examples, the signature generator 210 may belocated where the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c areinitially received, and may generate signatures for the signals, whichare then transmitted to the insertion opportunity analyzer 108 for usein comparing media conveyed in the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a,104 b, 104 c.

The signature comparator 212 of the illustrated example of FIG. 2compares media included in affiliate broadcast signals based onsignatures. In some examples, the signature comparator 212 utilizes thesignatures generated by the example signature generator 210 to comparethe example affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c. The examplesignature comparator 212 can compare signatures at similar time segmentsto determine if the broadcast signals include similar media during thetime segments. In some examples, the signature comparator 212 isconfigured with a threshold associated with an allowable amount ofdifference between signatures for the media to still be consideredsimilar. In some examples, if the signature comparator 212 determinesone or more of the signals of the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104b, 104 c includes different media than any other signal of the affiliatebroadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c, at a time segment, the examplesignature comparator 212 can determine that the time segment is anon-matching interval. In some examples, the signature comparator 212compares a first signature pertaining to a first signal of the affiliatebroadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c with the other signals included inthe affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c. In response to thefirst signal matching the other signals of the affiliate broadcastsignals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c, the example signature comparator 212 candetermine the time segment includes similar media across the broadcastsignals. Conversely, in response to the first signal not matching atleast one of the other signals of the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a,104 b, 104 c, the example signature comparator 212 can determine thetime segment to be a non-matching interval. Examples of identifiednon-matching intervals are illustrated in the schematic of FIG. 5 .

The watermark decoder 214 of the illustrated example of FIG. 2 decodeswatermarks/codes included in affiliate broadcast signals. In someexamples, in response to the media comparator configurator 208determining that the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 cinclude watermarks/codes, the watermark decoder 214 can decode thewatermarks/codes. The example watermark decoder 214 can determine, forexample, characteristics of the media that is presented based ondecoding the watermarks/codes included in the signals. For example, thewatermarks/codes can include a timestamp, a station identifier, aprogram identifier, etc. In some examples, the watermark decoder 214transmits the decoded watermarks/codes to the watermark comparator 216for comparison of watermarks/codes between the signals. In someexamples, the watermark decoder 214 may located where the affiliatebroadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c are initially received, and maydetect and decode watermarks for the signals which are then transmittedto the insertion opportunity analyzer 108 for use in comparing mediaconveyed in the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c.

The watermark comparator 216 of the illustrated example of FIG. 2compares media included in affiliate broadcast signals based onwatermarks/codes. In some examples, the watermark comparator 216compares the watermarks/codes generated by the watermark decoder 214.The example watermark comparator 216 can compare watermarks/codes atsimilar time segments to determine if the broadcast signals includesimilar media during the time segments. In some examples, the watermarkcomparator 216 is configured with a threshold associated with anallowable amount of difference between watermarks/codes for the media tostill be considered similar between the broadcast signals. For example,the threshold can be associated with an allowable difference intimestamps between watermarks/codes to account for broadcasting timeoffsets. In some examples, the watermark comparator 216 accounts forother differences (e.g., a station identifier, an offset code, etc.)between watermarks/codes that are acceptable (e.g., do not lead toindication of a non-matching interval, etc.). In some examples, inresponse to the watermark comparator 216 determining that one or more ofthe signals of the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 cinclude different media than any other signal of the affiliate broadcastsignals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c, at a specific time segment, the watermarkcomparator 216 can determine that the time segment is a non-matchinginterval. Examples of identified non-matching intervals are illustratedin the schematic of FIG. 5 .

The insertion opportunity identifier 218 of the illustrated example ofFIG. 2 identifies local commercial insertion opportunities based onprocessing of non-matching intervals determined by the example mediacomparator 206. The example insertion opportunity identifier 218 alsoreceives data from the example insertion opportunity indicator extractor204 including data from insertion opportunity indicators (e.g., SCTE-35codes, cue tones, etc.). In some examples, the insertion opportunityidentifier 218 can combine data from the example insertion opportunityindicator extractor 204 with data from the example media comparator 206to identify local advertisement (e.g., commercial) insertionopportunities.

The example insertion opportunity identifier 218 can, for eachnon-matching interval identified by the example media comparator 206,determine if the non-matching interval has at least an individualitycharacteristic and/or a duration characteristic. The individualitycharacteristic is associated with a number of instances of mediaconveyed by the broadcast signals during the non-matching interval. Theduration characteristic is associated with the duration of thenon-matching interval.

For example, the individuality characteristic can be associated with athreshold number of media signals that must be different, a percent ofmedia signals that must be different, or any quantification of an amountof difference between the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104c during the non-matching time segment. In some examples, theindividuality characteristic must satisfy an individuality threshold forthe non-matching interval to be a local commercial insertionopportunity. For example, the individuality characteristic can avoidhaving a single different media presentation conveyed in an affiliatebroadcast signal, compared to a multitude of affiliate broadcastsignals, lead to an identification of a local commercial insertionopportunity, when a programming change, glitch, or other event may haveoccurred in the one different affiliate broadcast signal. The broadcastcomparison schematic of FIG. 5 illustrates an example first non-matchinginterval 506, an example second non-matching interval 508, an examplefourth non-matching interval 512, an example fifth non-matching interval514, and an example seventh non-matching interval 518 where at least anindividuality threshold may result in the non-matching threshold notbeing identified as a local commercial insertion opportunity.

In some examples, the individuality characteristic can be quantified bycounting a number of unique media representations in the affiliatebroadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c in the non-matching interval. Forexample, if one hundred affiliate broadcasts are analyzed, and forty aredisplaying a national advertisement, thirty are displaying an identicallocal advertisement (e.g., from a company advertising in manylocalities, etc.) and thirty are displaying unique local advertisements,thirty two unique media presentations may be counted (e.g., one nationaladvertisement, one widespread local advertisement, and thirty otherlocal advertisements). In some examples where the national broadcast isidentified, the media presentations may instead be counted bydetermining the number of media presentations that do not match thenational broadcast. In the case of the previously described hundredaffiliate broadcasts, this would result in a count of fifty onedifferent media presentations (e.g., one national advertisement, fiftylocal advertisements). In some examples, the individuality threshold canbe a threshold (e.g., a minimum) number of unique media representationsconveyed by the affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c duringthe non-matching interval in order for the non-matching interval to bedetermined to be a local insertion opportunity. In some examples, theindividuality characteristic can be quantified as a percentage of theaffiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c that convey differentmedia (e.g., four different media representations out of ten affiliatebroadcast signals results in forty percent different media calculation,etc.). In some examples, the individuality characteristic can bequantified by the number, or a percentage, of the affiliate broadcastsignals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c that include the most commonly identifiedmedia (e.g., the media most likely representing a national broadcast,etc.) for the non-matching interval. In such an example, a low value(e.g., number, percentage, etc.) of the affiliate broadcast signals 104a, 104 b, 104 c including the most commonly identified media for thenon-matching interval can be indicative of a local commercial insertionopportunity.

The duration characteristic and/or threshold is implemented to ensurethe duration of the non-matching interval is not unusual for a localcommercial insertion opportunity. In some examples, the durationcharacteristic is associated with a threshold minimum duration of thenon-matching interval and/or a threshold maximum duration of thenon-matching interval. For example, the duration characteristic and/orthreshold(s) can be configured to avoid having a short-duration glitch(e.g., a few seconds, less than a second, etc.) and/or a long durationprogramming change (e.g., five minutes, a half hour, etc.) result in anindication of a local commercial insertion opportunity. In someexamples, the insertion opportunity identifier 218 can determine if thenon-matching interval is within a specified duration value of knowncommercial insertion opportunity durations. For example, a common localcommercial insertion opportunity interval for some broadcasters in a twominute commercial pod is a thirty-second local commercial insertionopportunity duration. In some examples, the insertion opportunityidentifier 218 determines whether the duration of the non-matchinginterval is within a threshold of a configured, predetermined, etc. orotherwise known local commercial insertion opportunity duration, and/oris within the threshold of a multiple of the local commercial insertionopportunity duration (e.g., representative of multiple insertionopportunities, etc.). In some examples, the duration characteristicand/or threshold is associated with an amount of similarity in durationof different media presentations during the non-matching interval. Forexample, if there are 8 different media presentations, and each lastsapproximately 30 seconds (e.g., within two seconds, etc.), it is likelythat these media presentations represent local insertions.

The example media comparator 206 can utilize any other characteristicsand/or thresholds to determine if a non-matching interval hascharacteristics associated with a local commercial insertionopportunity. The example media comparator 206 can analyze thenon-matching intervals determined by the example media comparator 206 toidentify the one or more non-matching interval(s) corresponding withlocal insertion opportunity/opportunities.

The insertion opportunity report generator 220 of the illustratedexample of FIG. 2 receives data including identified local insertionopportunities and generates local insertion opportunity data andreports. In some examples, the insertion opportunity report generator220 aggregates data from numerous affiliate broadcast signals, such asthe example affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c andgenerates local insertion opportunity data for the numerous broadcastsignals. In some examples, such aggregation includes combining data fromthe insertion opportunity indicator extractor 204 with data from themedia comparator 206 and/or data from the insertion opportunityidentifier 218. In some examples, the insertion opportunity reportgenerator 220 can combine local insertion opportunity data with mediaidentification data (e.g., specific media information as determined byanother apparatus at, or in communication with, the example MMS 106 ofFIG. 1 ) to flag appropriate differences in identified media as localinsertion opportunities.

The data store 222 of the illustrated example of FIG. 2 stores dataassociated with local insertion opportunities. In some examples, thedata store 222 stores reports generated by the example insertionopportunity report generator 220. In some examples, the data store 222stores intermediate data from the insertion opportunity indicatorextractor 204, the media comparator 206, and/or the insertionopportunity identifier 218. The data store 222 may be implemented by avolatile memory (e.g., a Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory(SDRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), RAMBUS Dynamic RandomAccess Memory (RDRAM), etc.) and/or a non-volatile memory (e.g., flashmemory). The data store 222 may additionally or alternatively beimplemented by one or more double data rate (DDR) memories, such as DDR,DDR2, DDR3, mobile DDR (mDDR), etc. The data store 222 may additionallyor alternatively be implemented by one or more mass storage devices suchas hard disk drive(s), compact disk drive(s) digital versatile diskdrive(s), etc. While in the illustrated example the data store 222 isillustrated as a single database, the data store 222 may be implementedby any number and/or type(s) of databases. Furthermore, the data storedin the data store 222 may be in any data format such as, for example,binary data, comma delimited data, tab delimited data, structured querylanguage (SQL) structures, etc.

In operation, the example broadcast receiver 202 receives the exampleaffiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c. The example insertionopportunity extractor 204 identifies insertion opportunity indicatorsincluded in any received broadcast signals and extracts data associatedwith the indicators. The example media comparator 206 performs mediacomparison between the example affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b,104 c by utilizing the example media comparator configurator 208 todetermine a media comparison technique, and subsequently performingmedia comparison using the technique. The example signature generator210 generates signatures for the example affiliate broadcast signals 104a, 104 b, 104 c at times throughout the broadcast signals to enable theexample signature comparator 212 to perform comparison of media includedin the example affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c. Theexample watermark decoder 214 decodes watermarks in the affiliatebroadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c, if present, and the examplewatermark comparator 216 subsequently utilizes the watermarks to performmedia comparison. Following comparison of the media included in theexample affiliate broadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c, the exampleinsertion opportunity identifier 218 determines if non-matchingintervals, if any, identified during the comparison process correspondto local commercial insertion opportunities. The example insertionopportunity report generator 220 then generates local insertionopportunity data which can be stored in the example data store 222.

While an example manner of implementing the example insertionopportunity analyzer 108 of FIG. 1 is illustrated in FIG. 2 , one ormore of the elements, processes and/or devices illustrated in FIG. 2 maybe combined, divided, re-arranged, omitted, eliminated and/orimplemented in any other way. Further, the example broadcast receiver202, the example insertion opportunity indicator extractor 204, theexample media comparator 206, the example media comparator configurator208, the example signature generator 210, the example signaturecomparator 212, the example watermark decoder 214, the example watermarkcomparator 216, the example insertion opportunity identifier 218, theexample insertion opportunity report generator 220, the example datastore 222, and/or, more generally, the example insertion opportunityanalyzer 108 of FIG. 2 may be implemented by hardware, software,firmware and/or any combination of hardware, software and/or firmware.Thus, for example, any of the example broadcast receiver 202, theexample insertion opportunity indicator extractor 204, the example mediacomparator 206, the example media comparator configurator 208, theexample signature generator 210, the example signature comparator 212,the example watermark decoder 214, the example watermark comparator 216,the example insertion opportunity identifier 218, the example insertionopportunity report generator 220, the example data store 222, and/or,more generally, the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108 of FIG. 2could be implemented by one or more analog or digital circuit(s), logiccircuits, programmable processor(s), application specific integratedcircuit(s) (ASIC(s)), programmable logic device(s) (PLD(s)) and/or fieldprogrammable logic device(s) (FPLD(s)). When reading any of theapparatus or system claims of this patent to cover a purely softwareand/or firmware implementation, at least one of the example broadcastreceiver 202, the example insertion opportunity indicator extractor 204,the example media comparator 206, the example media comparatorconfigurator 208, the example signature generator 210, the examplesignature comparator 212, the example watermark decoder 214, the examplewatermark comparator 216, the example insertion opportunity identifier218, the example insertion opportunity report generator 220, the exampledata store 222, and/or, more generally, the example insertionopportunity analyzer 108 of FIG. 2 is/are hereby expressly defined toinclude a non-transitory computer readable storage device or storagedisk such as a memory, a digital versatile disk (DVD), a compact disk(CD), a Blu-ray disk, etc. including the software and/or firmware.Further still, the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108 of FIG. 1may include one or more elements, processes and/or devices in additionto, or instead of, those illustrated in FIG. 2 , and/or may include morethan one of any or all of the illustrated elements, processes anddevices.

Flowchart representative of example machine readable instructions forimplementing the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108 of FIG. 2are shown in FIGS. 3A-B, and 4. In these examples, the machine readableinstructions comprise one or more programs for execution by a processorsuch as a processor 612 shown in the example processor platform 600discussed below in connection with FIG. 6 . The one or more programs maybe embodied in software stored on a non-transitory computer readablestorage medium such as a CD-ROM, a floppy disk, a hard drive, a DVD, aBlu-ray disk, or a memory associated with the processor 612, but theentire program(s) and/or parts thereof could alternatively be executedby a device other than the processor 612 and/or embodied in firmware ordedicated hardware. Further, although the example program(s) isdescribed with reference to the flowchart illustrated in FIGS. 3A-B, and4, many other methods of implementing the example insertion opportunityanalyzer 108 may alternatively be used. For example, the order ofexecution of the blocks may be changed, and/or some of the blocksdescribed may be changed, eliminated, or combined. Additionally oralternatively, any or all of the blocks may be implemented by one ormore hardware circuits (e.g., discrete and/or integrated analog and/ordigital circuitry, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), anApplication Specific Integrated circuit (ASIC), a comparator, anoperational-amplifier (op-amp), a logic circuit, etc.) structured toperform the corresponding operation without executing software orfirmware.

As mentioned above, the example processes of FIGS. 3A-B, and 4 may beimplemented using coded instructions (e.g., computer and/or machinereadable instructions) stored on a non-transitory computer and/ormachine readable medium such as a hard disk drive, a flash memory, aread-only memory, a CD, a DVD, a cache, a random-access memory and/orany other storage device or storage disk in which information is storedfor any duration (e.g., for extended time periods, permanently, forbrief instances, for temporarily buffering, and/or for caching of theinformation). As used herein, the term non-transitory computer readablemedium is expressly defined to include any type of computer readablestorage device and/or storage disk and to exclude propagating signalsand to exclude transmission media. “Including” and “comprising” (and allforms and tenses thereof) are used herein to be open ended terms. Thus,whenever a claim lists anything following any form of “include” or“comprise” (e.g., comprises, includes, comprising, including, etc.), itis to be understood that additional elements, terms, etc. may be presentwithout falling outside the scope of the corresponding claim. As usedherein, when the phrase “at least” is used as the transition term in apreamble of a claim, it is open ended in the same manner as the term“comprising” and “including” are open ended.

Example machine readable instructions 300 for implementing the exampleinsertion opportunity analyzer 108 and that may be executed to performidentification of local commercial insertion opportunities areillustrated in FIG. 3A. With reference to the preceding figures andassociated descriptions, the example machine readable instructions 300of FIG. 3A begin with the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108receiving a plurality of affiliate broadcast signals (Block 302). Insome examples, the broadcast receiver 202 receives the affiliatebroadcast signals 104 a, 104 b, 104 c. In some examples, the broadcastreceiver 202 aggregates affiliate broadcast signals from a plurality ofbroadcast receivers (e.g., located in different regions, localities,etc.).

At block 304, the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108 determineswhether any of the broadcast signals include local insertion opportunityindicators. In some examples, the insertion opportunity indicatorextractor 204 identifies whether any of the broadcast signals includelocal insertion opportunity indicators, such as SCTE-35 codes, cuetones, etc. In response to the broadcast signals including localinsertion opportunity indicators, processing transfers to block 306.Conversely, in response to the broadcast signals not including localinsertion opportunity indicators, processing transfers to block 310.

At block 306, the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108 identifieslocal insertion opportunities in the broadcast signals based on thelocal insertion opportunity indicators. In some examples, the insertionopportunity indicator extractor 204 identifies local insertionopportunities in the broadcast signals based on the indicators. Forexample, an indicator may indicate a start time, a start time and aduration, and/or a start time and a stop time of a local insertionopportunity.

At block 308, the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108 generatesdata indicating time(s) and duration(s) of the one or more localinsertion opportunities for the broadcast signal(s) includingindicator(s). In some examples, the example insertion opportunityindicator extractor 204, the example insertion opportunity identifier218, and/or the example insertion opportunity report generator 220generate data including time(s) and duration(s) of the one or more localinsertion opportunities. In some examples, the data is in a formatsimilar to the format of the data generated by the media comparator 208,for easier synthesis of media comparison data and insertion opportunityindicator data.

At block 310, the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108 performsmedia comparison across the broadcast signals. In some examples, themedia comparator 206 performs media comparison across the broadcastsignals. Further detail regarding the implementation of block 310 isprovided below in connection with FIG. 4 .

The example machine readable instructions 300 to implement the exampleinsertion opportunity analyzer 108 for identification of localcommercial insertion opportunities continue in FIG. 3B. With referenceto preceding figures and associated descriptions, the example machinereadable instructions 300 continue with the example insertionopportunity analyzer 108 selecting a non-matching interval for analysis(Block 312). In some examples, the insertion opportunity identifier 218selects a non-matching interval for analysis. In some examples, theinsertion opportunity identifier 218 processes non-matching intervals asthey are identified by the media comparator 206. In some examples, theinsertion opportunity identifier 218 selects non-matching intervals foranalysis in chronological order.

At block 314, the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108 determinesif the non-matching interval satisfies an individuality threshold. Insome examples, the example insertion opportunity identifier 218determines if the non-matching interval satisfies the individualitythreshold and/or has an individuality characteristic. For example, theexample insertion opportunity identifier 218 may quantify a number ofsignals of the plurality of broadcast signals that convey differentmedia during the non-matching interval. In some examples, the insertionopportunity identifier 218 may determine a number of unique mediapresentations during the non-matching interval between the affiliatebroadcast signals. In some examples, the insertion opportunityidentifier 218 determines whether the number of unique mediapresentations in the non-matching interval satisfies a threshold (e.g.,meets or exceeds a number of differences, a percentage of unique mediapresentations out of the number of affiliate broadcast signals, etc.).In response to the non-matching interval satisfying the individualitythreshold, processing transfers to block 316. Conversely, in response tothe non-matching interval not satisfying the individuality threshold,processing transfers to block 320.

At block 316, the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108 determineswhether the non-matching interval satisfies one or more durationthresholds. In some examples, the insertion opportunity identifier 218determines if the non-matching interval satisfies a duration threshold.In some examples, the insertion opportunity identifier 218 compares theduration of the non-matching interval with a minimum duration thresholdand/or a maximum duration threshold for a local commercial insertionopportunity. In some examples, the insertion opportunity identifier 218compares the duration of the non-matching interval with one or moreknown local commercial insertion opportunity durations (e.g., thirtyseconds, two minutes, etc.). In some examples, the insertion opportunityidentifier 218 compares the duration of media presentations conveyedwithin the non-matching interval to determine if they are substantiallysimilar (e.g., which may be indicative of a local commercial insertionopportunity). In response to the non-matching interval satisfying theduration threshold, processing transfers to block 318. Conversely, inresponse to the non-matching interval not satisfying the durationthreshold, processing transfers to block 320.

At block 318, the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108 identifiesthe non-matching interval as a local insertion opportunity. In someexamples, the insertion opportunity identifier 218 identifies thenon-matching interval as a local insertion opportunity by storing timevalues (e.g., a start time, stop time, etc.), a duration, and/or anyother data associated with the insertion opportunity to be included inthe local opportunity insertion data output by the insertion opportunityreport generator 220. Examples of non-matching intervals that may beidentified as local insertion opportunities are illustrated anddescribed in connection with the example schematic of FIG. 5 .

At block 320, the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108 determinesif the non-matching intervals have been analyzed. In some examples, theexample insertion opportunity identifier 218 determines if all of thenon-matching intervals, as previously identified by the media comparator206, have been analyzed. In response to all of the non-matchingintervals having been analyzed, processing transfers to block 322.Conversely, in response to all of the non-matching intervals not havingbeen analyzed, processing transfers to block 312.

At block 322, the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108 generateslocal insertion opportunity data. In some examples, the insertionopportunity report generator 220 generates local insertion opportunitydata based on the insertion opportunities identified by the exampleinsertion opportunity identifier 218. In some examples, the insertionopportunity report generator 220 aggregates local insertion opportunitydata and generates reports upon requests for the local insertionopportunity data. In some examples, the insertion opportunity reportgenerator 220 generates reports automatically at specified intervals,and/or after a certain duration of the broadcast signals has beenanalyzed. In some examples, the insertion opportunity report generator220 transmits the local insertion opportunity data as it is received bythe example insertion opportunity identifier 218. In some examples, theinsertion opportunity report generator 220 stores the local insertionopportunity data to the data store 222.

Example machine readable instructions 400 for implementing the exampleinsertion opportunity analyzer 108 and that may be executed to performmedia comparison across broadcast signals are illustrated in FIG. 4 .With reference to the preceding figures and associated descriptions, theexample machine readable instructions 400 of FIG. 4 begin with theexample insertion opportunity analyzer 108 generating signatures fromthe broadcast signals (Block 402). In some examples, the signaturegenerator 210 generates signatures from the broadcast signals. Theexample signature generator 210 can generate signatures using any knowntechnique. The example signature generator 210 generates signaturesusing the same technique across affiliate broadcast signals to enablecomparison of the signatures. In some examples, the signature generator210 receives signals from the media comparator configurator 208indicative of which of the affiliate broadcast signals should beutilized for signature generation. In some examples, the signaturegenerator 210 generates signatures for all affiliate broadcast signals.In some examples, the signature generator 210 generate signatures foraffiliate broadcast signals lacking watermarks/codes.

At block 404, the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108 performswatermark detection. In some examples, the media comparator configurator208 and/or the example watermark decoder 214 perform watermark detectionto determine if watermarks are present in the broadcast signals. In someexamples, the media comparator configurator 208 and/or the watermarkdecoder 214 scan through each of the broadcast signals to determine ifthe broadcast signals include watermarks.

At block 406, the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108 determineswhether the broadcast signals include watermarks. In some examples, themedia comparator configurator 208 and/or the watermark decoder 214determine whether any of the broadcast signals include watermarks. Inresponse to any of the broadcast signals including watermarks,processing transfers to block 408. Conversely, in response to none ofthe broadcast signals including watermarks, processing transfers toblock 410.

At block 408, the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108 decodeswatermarks in the broadcast signals. In some examples, the watermarkdecoder 214 decodes watermarks in the broadcast signals for all signalsfor which watermarks were detected. In some examples, decoding thewatermarks includes extracting media identification information form thewatermarks.

At block 410, the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108 selects atime segment to perform comparison of the respective media broadcast inthe affiliate broadcast signals to identify local commercial insertionopportunities. In some examples, the example signature comparator 212and/or the example watermark comparator 216 select the time segment. Insome examples, the signature comparator 212 and/or the watermarkcomparator 216 divide the duration of the broadcast signals into timesegments corresponding to a frequency of the generated signatures and/ora frequency of watermarks included in the signal. In some examples, thesignature comparator 212 and/or the watermark comparator 216 select timesegments in chronological order. In some examples, the signaturecomparator 212 and/or the watermark comparator 216 can compare thebroadcast signals as they are received substantially in real-time (e.g.,accounting for processing delays, transmission delays, etc.).

At block 412, the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108 comparesbroadcast signals for a given time segment based on watermarks/codesand/or signatures. In some examples, the signature comparator 212 and/orthe watermark comparator 216 compare the broadcast signals for the giventime segment based on watermarks/codes and/or signatures. In someexamples wherein the broadcast signals include watermarks/codes andsignatures are generated based on the broadcast signals, the signaturecomparator 212 and the watermark comparator 216 each perform comparisonof the broadcast signals and subsequently check for agreeance betweenthe outputs of each comparison.

At block 414, the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108 determineswhether the broadcast signals include similar media for the timesegment. In some examples, the signature comparator 212 and/or thewatermark comparator 216 determine whether the broadcast signals includesimilar media for the time segment. In some examples, the signaturecomparator 212 and/or the watermark comparator 216 select a first signalof the broadcast signals and then compare the first signal to theremaining signals of the broadcast signals to determine if the broadcastsignals include similar media. In some examples, threshold differencescan be configured in association with an acceptable difference betweensignatures and/or watermarks/codes for the media conveyed in thebroadcast signals to still be considered similar. In response todetermining the broadcast signals include similar media for the timesegment, processing transfers to block 418. Conversely, in response tothe broadcast signals not including similar media for the time segment,processing transfers to block 416.

At block 416, the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108 identifiesthe time segment for the broadcast signals as a non-matching interval ofthe broadcast signal. In some examples, the signature comparator 212and/or the watermark comparator 216 identify the time segment for thebroadcast signals as a non-matching interval of the broadcast signal.Example non-matching intervals are illustrated and described inconnection with the example schematic of FIG. 5 .

At block 418, the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108 determinesif any time segments remain for analysis. In some examples, the mediacomparator configurator 208, the signature comparator 212, and/or thewatermark comparator 216 determine if any time segments remain foranalysis. In some examples wherein the signals are processed as they arereceived, determining if any time segments remains involves checking ifthe broadcast signals are still being received.

At block 420, the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108 combinesconsecutive non-matching intervals. In some examples, the mediacomparator 206 combines consecutive non-matching intervals in responseto the consecutive non-matching intervals additionally having similarcharacteristics (e.g., a similar individuality characteristic, etc.). Insome examples, after any non-matching interval is identified, the mediacomparator 206 determines if the previous time segment was identified asa non-matching interval. In such an example, in response to the previoustime segment having been identified as a non-matching interval, and theprevious non-matching interval having similar characteristics, the mediacomparator 206 combines the consecutive non-matching intervals. In someexamples, the media comparator 206 checks the identified non-matchingintervals on a regular basis (e.g., at a time interval, at an intervalof the overall signal duration, etc.) to identify and combineconsecutive non-matching intervals. In some examples, combined,consecutive non-matching intervals may be subsequently redivided afteranalyzing the non-matching intervals, if the intervals are substantiallydifferent (e.g., have very different numbers of unique mediapresentations represented by the signals, have media presentationdurations, etc.). An example of consecutive non-matching intervals thatmay require division, or may not be initially combined due to havingsubstantially different characteristics, are represented by an examplesixth non-matching portion 516 and an example seventh non-matchingportion 518 of the schematic 500 of FIG. 5 .

FIG. 5 is an example schematic 500 of comparison of a set of affiliatebroadcasts for identification of local commercial insertionopportunities. The example schematic 500 includes an example time axis502 for comparison of eleven (11) example affiliate broadcasts signalslisted along an example broadcast axis 504 over time. The broadcastsignals are labeled as broadcast 1 through broadcast 11. The examplebroadcasts listed along the example broadcast axis are affiliatebroadcasts, which display similar media at some times, and differentmedia at other times. By performing identification of local commercialinsertion opportunities in accordance with the techniques describedherein, local insertion opportunities associated with this set ofbroadcasts can be identified.

The example schematic 500 includes several identified non-matchingintervals, as identified in accordance with the teachings of thisdisclosure (e.g., as described in the machine readable instructions 400of FIG. 4 , etc.). In performing media comparison across the broadcastsignals for the time span shown in the example schematic 500, an examplefirst non-matching interval 506, an example second non-matching interval508, an example third non-matching interval 510, an example fourthnon-matching interval 512, an example fifth non-matching interval 514,an example sixth non-matching interval 516, and an example seventhnon-matching interval 518 are identified. To determine local insertionopportunities, the techniques disclosed herein (e.g., as described inthe machine readable instructions 300 of FIG. 3B) determine if thenon-matching intervals satisfy at least an individuality threshold andone or more duration thresholds.

The example first non-matching interval 506 includes broadcast 6conveying different media than the remainder of the broadcasts. Indetermining whether the first non-matching interval 506 represents alocal commercial insertion opportunity, the example first non-matchinginterval 506 may not satisfy an example individuality threshold, and/ormay not satisfy an example duration threshold. During the firstnon-matching interval 506, only one out of eleven broadcast signalsincludes different media. Hence, it may be considered likely that thisone broadcast is simply displaying different programming, as no otherbroadcasts include different media during this time.

The example second non-matching interval 508 includes broadcast 3conveying different media than the remainder of the broadcasts. In someexamples, the second non-matching interval 508 may not satisfy anexample individuality threshold, and/or may not satisfy an exampleduration threshold. For example, during the second non-matching interval508, there is only one station displaying a unique media signal relativeto the other broadcasts, which may result in the example individualitythreshold not being satisfied (e.g., there are too few different mediapresentations represented by the broadcast signals). Further, in someexamples, the duration threshold may not be satisfied due to the secondnon-matching interval 508 having a relatively short duration (e.g.,possibly indicative of a glitch in the broadcast, a brief interruptionin the broadcast, etc.)

The example third non-matching interval 510 includes broadcasts 1through 3, broadcast 5 and broadcasts 7 through 10 conveying uniquemedia, and broadcasts 4, 6 and 11 conveying similar media. In someexamples, the third non-matching interval 510 may satisfy theindividuality threshold, and/or may satisfy the duration threshold. Forexample, the third non-matching interval 510 has ten unique mediapresentations conveyed during the third non-matching interval 510, whichmay be an indication that a local commercial insertion opportunity tookplace during this interval. In some examples, the third non-matchinginterval 510 may satisfy the duration threshold, as the duration of thethird non-matching interval 510 may be within a range of acceptabledurations for a local commercial insertion opportunity, and the uniquemedia presentations additionally have similar presentation durations.

The example fourth non-matching interval 512 and the example fifthnon-matching interval 514 include broadcast 9 conveying different mediathan the remainder of the broadcasts. The example fourth non-matchinginterval 512 and the example fifth non-matching interval 514 may eachnot satisfy the individuality threshold, and/or may each not satisfy theduration threshold. The example fourth non-matching interval 512 and theexample fifth non-matching interval 514 each, similar to the secondnon-matching interval 508, include very brief presentations of uniquemedia on only one of the broadcast signals, which indicates that thefourth non-matching interval 512 and the fifth non-matching interval 514are not likely to represent local commercial insertion opportunities.

The example sixth non-matching interval 516, similar to the thirdnon-matching interval 510, includes many stations conveying uniquemedia. Broadcasts 1 through 7 and broadcast 9 conveyed unique mediaduring this interval, while broadcasts 8, 10 and 11 include similarmedia. Similar to the third non-matching interval 510, the sixthnon-matching interval 516 may satisfy an example individuality thresholddue to the numerous different media presentations and/or may satisfy anexample duration threshold.

The example seventh non-matching interval 518 includes broadcast 4conveying unique media relative to the remainder of the broadcasts. Insome examples, broadcast 4 may have begun conveying differentprogramming (e.g., local news, an infomercial, a new national broadcast,etc.) beginning at the sixth non-matching interval 516. In some exampleswherein non-matching intervals are required to have similarcharacteristics (e.g., similar individuality characteristics, etc.) tobe eligible for combination, the example sixth non-matching interval 516and the example seventh non-matching interval 518 may not be combined.In some examples, the sixth non-matching interval 516 and the seventhnon-matching interval 518 may initially be combined and subsequently maybe re-divided due to the disparity in differences between media conveyedbetween the sixth non-matching interval 516 and the seventh non-matchinginterval 518. In such examples, the seventh non-matching interval 518may not satisfy the individuality threshold due to there only being twounique media presentations across the broadcast signals (one forbroadcast 4, and the other for all remaining broadcasts).

The example schematic 500 additionally includes a continuous nationalbroadcast 520, represented by broadcast 11. In some examples, abroadcast representing a known national broadcast feed (e.g., directlyfrom the national broadcaster) can be utilized for comparison with theremainder of the broadcast signals. In examples where a nationalbroadcast signal is available and known, another technique forprocessing the signals is to compare the other local affiliate broadcastsignals with the known national broadcast signal, which can be helpfulin determining which signals conveyed media different than the nationalbroadcast.

The example schematic 500 includes various time offsets associated withmedia presentations throughout the broadcast signals. For example, theexample time offset 522 indicates that broadcast 9 is slightly delayedrelative to broadcast 5, for example. Such offsets may be anticipated bydata received from other systems indicative of slight broadcast delays,and can be subsequently accounted for when determining non-matchingintervals and identifying local commercial insertion opportunities.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example processor platform 600 capableof executing the instructions of FIGS. 3A-3B and 4 to implement theexample insertion opportunity analyzer 108 of FIG. 2 . The processorplatform 600 can be, for example, a server, a personal computer, amobile device (e.g., a cell phone, a smart phone, a tablet such as aniPad™), a personal digital assistant (PDA), an Internet appliance, a DVDplayer, a CD player, a digital video recorder, a Blu-ray player, agaming console, a personal video recorder, a set top box, or any othertype of computing device.

The processor platform 600 of the illustrated example includes aprocessor 612. The processor 612 of the illustrated example is hardware.For example, the processor 612 can be implemented by one or moreintegrated circuits, logic circuits, microprocessors or controllers fromany desired family or manufacturer. The hardware processor may be asemiconductor based (e.g., silicon based) device. In this example, theprocessor 612 implements the example broadcast receiver 202, the exampleinsertion opportunity indicator extractor 204, the example mediacomparator 206, the example media comparator configurator 208, theexample signature generator 210, the example signature comparator 212,the example watermark decoder 214, the example watermark comparator 216,the example insertion opportunity identifier 218, the example insertionopportunity report generator 220, the example data store 222, and/or,more generally, the example insertion opportunity analyzer 108 of FIG. 2.

The processor 612 of the illustrated example includes a local memory 613(e.g., a cache). The processor 612 of the illustrated example is incommunication with a main memory including a volatile memory 614 and anon-volatile memory 616 via a bus 618. The volatile memory 614 may beimplemented by Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM), DynamicRandom Access Memory (DRAM), RAMBUS Dynamic Random Access Memory (RDRAM)and/or any other type of random access memory device. The non-volatilememory 616 may be implemented by flash memory and/or any other desiredtype of memory device. Access to the main memory 614, 616 is controlledby a memory controller.

The processor platform 600 of the illustrated example also includes aninterface circuit 620. The interface circuit 620 may be implemented byany type of interface standard, such as an Ethernet interface, auniversal serial bus (USB), and/or a peripheral component interconnect(PCI) express interface.

In the illustrated example, one or more input devices 622 are connectedto the interface circuit 620. The input device(s) 622 permit(s) a userto enter data and/or commands into the processor 612. The inputdevice(s) can be implemented by, for example, an audio sensor, amicrophone, a camera (still or video), a keyboard, a button, a mouse, atouchscreen, a track-pad, a trackball, an isopoint device, and/or avoice recognition system.

One or more output devices 624 are also connected to the interfacecircuit 620 of the illustrated example. The output devices 1024 can beimplemented, for example, by display devices (e.g., a light emittingdiode (LED), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a liquid crystaldisplay, a cathode ray tube display (CRT), a touchscreen, a tactileoutput device, a printer and/or speakers). The interface circuit 620 ofthe illustrated example, thus, typically includes a graphics drivercard, a graphics driver chip and/or a graphics driver processor.

The interface circuit 620 of the illustrated example also includes acommunication device such as a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver, amodem and/or network interface card to facilitate exchange of data withexternal machines (e.g., computing devices of any kind) via a network626 (e.g., an Ethernet connection, a digital subscriber line (DSL), atelephone line, coaxial cable, a cellular telephone system, etc.).

The processor platform 600 of the illustrated example also includes oneor more mass storage devices 628 for storing software and/or data.Examples of such mass storage devices 628 include floppy disk drives,hard drive disks, compact disk drives, Blu-ray disk drives, redundantarray of independent disks (RAID) systems, and DVD drives.

The coded instructions 632 of FIGS. 3A-B and 4 may be stored in the massstorage device 628, in the volatile memory 614, in the non-volatilememory 616, and/or on a removable non-transitory computer readablestorage medium such as a CD or DVD.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that example methods,apparatus and articles of manufacture have been disclosed that enable anefficient, accurate identification of local commercial insertionopportunities in media signals. Unlike utilization of embedded codes(e.g., SCTE-35 codes, cue tones, etc.) to identify insertionopportunities, the example methods, apparatus, and articles ofmanufacture disclosed herein enable identification of local commercialinsertion opportunities based on the broadcast signals alone.Consequently, local commercial insertion opportunities can be identifiedbased on affiliate signals themselves, eliminating the need foridentifying and obtaining indicators regarding local commercialinsertion opportunities from national broadcasters. Further, directanalysis of the broadcast signals enables a more accurate solution thanrelying on indicators embedded in national broadcast signals. In someexamples, the techniques disclosed herein enable local commercialinsertion opportunity identification for signals that were previouslynot able to be analyzed to identify such opportunities, as theindicators may be unavailable to an AME (e.g., may be communicated fromthe national broadcaster to the affiliate via email, via a separatesignal, etc.).

Although certain example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacturehave been disclosed herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is notlimited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods,apparatus and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope ofthe claims of this patent.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: at least one memory;instructions; and processor circuitry to execute the instructions to atleast: compare identifiers of respective instances of media, therespective instances of the media conveyed in respective ones of aplurality of broadcast signals associated with corresponding differentaffiliates of a national broadcaster, the respective instances of themedia associated with a time segment; identify the time segment as anon-matching interval of the plurality of broadcast signals in responseto at least one of the plurality of broadcast signals including adifferent instance of media than other ones of the plurality ofbroadcast signals during the time segment; and determine whether thenon-matching interval is associated with a local advertisement insertionopportunity based on a characteristic of the non-matching interval. 2.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the identifiers include at least oneof watermarks or signatures associated with the respective instances ofthe media conveyed in the respective ones of the plurality of broadcastsignals, and the processor circuitry is to at least one of: decode thewatermarks from the respective instances of the media conveyed in therespective ones of the plurality of broadcast signals; or generate thesignatures based on the respective instances of the media conveyed inthe respective ones of the plurality of broadcast signals.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor circuitry is to access theidentifiers from a remote device, the identifiers having been at leastone of decoded or generated at receivers in geographic locationsassociated with the respective instances of the media conveyed in therespective ones of the plurality of broadcast signals.
 4. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein the identifiers include watermarks and signaturesassociated with the respective instances of the media conveyed in therespective ones of the plurality of broadcast signals, and the processorcircuitry is to determine whether a first output of a first comparisonof the watermarks is in agreeance with a second output of a secondcomparison of the signatures.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thecharacteristic includes at least one of (1) a count of the plurality ofbroadcast signals that include different instances of media during thenon-matching interval or (2) a duration of the non-matching interval. 6.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor circuitry is todetermine whether the at least one of the plurality of broadcast signalsincludes the different instance of media than the other ones of theplurality of broadcast signals during the time segment based on whethera count of different ones of the identifiers exceeds a thresholdindicative of an allowable amount of difference between the identifiersfor the respective instances of the media to be considered similar. 7.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor circuitry is to:determine a first one of the plurality of broadcast signals includes alocal insertion opportunity indicator; and exclude the first one of theplurality of broadcast signals from the plurality of broadcast signals.8. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructionsthat, when executed, cause a machine to at least: compare identifiers ofrespective instances of media, the respective instances of the mediaconveyed in respective ones of a plurality of broadcast signalsassociated with corresponding different affiliates of a nationalbroadcaster, the respective instances of the media associated with atime segment; identify the time segment as a non-matching interval ofthe plurality of broadcast signals in response to at least one of theplurality of broadcast signals including a different instance of mediathan other ones of the plurality of broadcast signals during the timesegment; and determine whether the non-matching interval is associatedwith a local advertisement insertion opportunity based on acharacteristic of the non-matching interval.
 9. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the identifiers include atleast one of watermarks or signatures associated with the respectiveinstances of the media conveyed in the respective ones of the pluralityof broadcast signals, and the instructions cause the machine to at leastone of: decode the watermarks from the respective instances of the mediaconveyed in the respective ones of the plurality of broadcast signals;or generate the signatures based on the respective instances of themedia conveyed in the respective ones of the plurality of broadcastsignals.
 10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8,wherein the instructions cause the machine to access the identifiersfrom a remote device, the identifiers having been at least one ofdecoded or generated at receivers in geographic locations associatedwith the respective instances of the media conveyed in the respectiveones of the plurality of broadcast signals.
 11. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the identifiers includewatermarks and signatures associated with the respective instances ofthe media conveyed in the respective ones of the plurality of broadcastsignals, and the instructions cause the machine to determine whether afirst output of a first comparison of the watermarks is in agreeancewith a second output of a second comparison of the signatures.
 12. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein thecharacteristic includes at least one of (1) a count of the plurality ofbroadcast signals that include different instances of media during thenon-matching interval or (2) a duration of the non-matching interval.13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein theinstructions cause the machine to determine whether the at least one ofthe plurality of broadcast signals includes the different instance ofmedia than the other ones of the plurality of broadcast signals duringthe time segment based on whether a count of different ones of theidentifiers exceeds a threshold indicative of an allowable amount ofdifference between the identifiers for the respective instances of themedia to be considered similar.
 14. The non-transitory computer readablemedium of claim 8, wherein the instructions cause the machine to:determine a first one of the plurality of broadcast signals includes alocal insertion opportunity indicator; and exclude the first one of theplurality of broadcast signals from the plurality of broadcast signals.15. A method comprising: comparing, by executing an instruction with atleast one processor, identifiers of respective instances of media, therespective instances of the media conveyed in respective ones of aplurality of broadcast signals associated with corresponding differentaffiliates of a national broadcaster, the respective instances of themedia associated with a time segment; identifying the time segment as anon-matching interval of the plurality of broadcast signals in responseto at least one of the plurality of broadcast signals including adifferent instance of media than other ones of the plurality ofbroadcast signals during the time segment; and determining, by executingan instruction with the at least one processor, whether the non-matchinginterval is associated with a local advertisement insertion opportunitybased on a characteristic of the non-matching interval.
 16. The methodof claim 15, wherein the identifiers include at least one of watermarksor signatures associated with the respective instances of the mediaconveyed in the respective ones of the plurality of broadcast signals,and further including at least one of: Decoding the watermarks from therespective instances of the media conveyed in the respective ones of theplurality of broadcast signals; or generating the signatures based onthe respective instances of the media conveyed in the respective ones ofthe plurality of broadcast signals.
 17. The method of claim 15, furtherincluding accessing the identifiers from a remote device, theidentifiers having been at least one of decoded or generated atreceivers in geographic locations associated with the respectiveinstances of the media conveyed in the respective ones of the pluralityof broadcast signals.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein theidentifiers include watermarks and signatures associated with therespective instances of the media conveyed in the respective ones of theplurality of broadcast signals, and further including determiningwhether a first output of a first comparison of the watermarks is inagreeance with a second output of a second comparison of the signatures.19. The method of claim 15, wherein the characteristic includes at leastone of (1) a count of the plurality of broadcast signals that includedifferent instances of media during the non-matching interval or (2) aduration of the non-matching interval.
 20. The method of claim 15,further including determining whether the at least one of the pluralityof broadcast signals includes the different instance of media than theother ones of the plurality of broadcast signals during the time segmentbased on whether a count of different ones of the identifiers exceeds athreshold indicative of an allowable amount of difference between theidentifiers for the respective instances of the media to be consideredsimilar.
 21. The method of claim 15, further including: determining afirst one of the plurality of broadcast signals includes a localinsertion opportunity indicator; and excluding the first one of theplurality of broadcast signals from the plurality of broadcast signals.